Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is easily one of the best known dinosaurs and is recognized all over the world. It is the largest and most famous member of the stegosaur family. It roamed the open plains of the Late Jurassic Period in what is now North America. The plates along its back, its small head and spiked tail make it a peculiar and unique dinosaur. This plant-eater evolved to find its food in the low-growing plants of the late Jurassic. The spikes on its tail would have made a powerful weapon against any hungry predators. Stegosaurus is often called the dumbest dinosaur because of its incredibly small brain. In fact, most scientists originally believed that its brain was too small to control such a large creature and that it used an auxiliary "brain" located above its rear legs to help control its movements. This was not actually a brain, but a bundle of nerves that helped relay information from its real brain. Its brain was once thought to have been the size of a walnut, but CAT-scans proved that it was actually the size of a kitten. Most fascinating to people are the plates along its back. There has been a great deal of debate about their use and arrangement. The plates were up to 2-feet tall and 2-feet wide (.6 m). The most prevalent theory is that they were used for cooling or heating the animal. A more recent theory, however, suggests that they could have been used as a display during courtship and that they may have been brightly colored. It is also possible that they could move up and down, perhaps to intimidate predators. The spikes on its tail are also the subjects of some controversy. For years, every model of Stegosaurus showed it with the spikes sticking up into the air. It is only since the 1990s that it has become accepted that these spikes stuck out horizontal to the ground, which would have been a potent defensive weapon when swung at a hunter. Stegosaurus would have lived in family groups and herds, moving slowly through forests while eating the low-growing plants. Its front legs were considerably shorter than it's hind legs, making it adapted to nibbling the plants closest to the ground. Stegosaurus is the namesake for a large family of dinosaurs whose members were found all over the world. The Stegosaurus (its code name "Stego") was a peaceful herbivore and probably roamed the prehistoric highlands in herds that size from small to large numbers, grazing on low ground plants. An average Stegosaurus was about the size of an elephant, standing about 11 feet tall. It had a very low intelligence (its brain was the size of a kitten). The bony plates on it's back may have served a dual purpose of a body temperature regulation and protection from large flesh-eating predators. Different species varied in the number of plates on their backs. Story Creation Eleven Stegosaurus was successfully recreated by InGen in the lab on Isla Sorna. The Stegosaurs were parented and fed in captivity on the island. The clones were green in color with brown plates exhibiting a paler center. The size of InGen's Stegosaurus varied, some were about 7 meters in length like the species Stegosaurus stenops while others were said to be 12 meters long, which is much larger than Stegosaurus ungulatus, the largest known Stegosaur. InGen may have increased its size to make it more spectacular. The clones lacked ossicles, or throat armor, the downward curved tips of their tails, and the long necks, unlike the originals. Its name appeared in the Cold Storage Room, so it was probably planned to appear in Phase II of Jurassic Park. It was oddly mislabeled "Stegasaurus" in the storage room. Isla Nublar Incident (1993) Stegosaurus was one of the embryos stolen by Dennis Nedry for Lewis Dodgson Living in the wild When Hurricane Clarissa struck Isla Sorna, the InGen personnel left the island. The Stegosaurs were either set free by the workers, broke out on their own or because the storm had damaged fences. Stegosaurus roamed freely across the island. Massive animals, they were some of the largest of the animals on the island. The Stegosaurs had to learn to live in the wild. Since they no longer received lysine supplements in their food, they started to eat lysine-rich plants. It is unknown how many Stegosaurs lived on the island. Stegosaurus Skirmish In 1997, the Gatherers encountered a small Stegosaurus herd near a river bed; a pair bond, a subadult, and an infant. Dr. Sarah Harding, who had arrived on Isla Sorna before the rest of her team did, was taking photographs of this herd when the other Gatherers found her. She approached the herd very closely and encountered an infant, Claire, and took pictures of her. But the film of her camera was full and it began to make noises. Because of the noise, the herd saw Sarah as a threat to their young and started to attack Sarah. She retaliated by hiding in a log nearby, as a male of the herd pursued her and hit the log with his thagomizer. The herd quickly left soon afterward. Isla Sorna Incident (1997) Later, Peter Ludlow's hunters captured both an infant and an adult Stegosaurus. It is unknown if the baby Stegosaurus is Claire or an entirely different infant. These stegosaurs were later freed by Gathers Nick Van Owen and Dr. Sarah Harding. In the aftermath, another herd was present that contained another juvenile that might have also been Claire after the Tyrannosaur Buck and Junior had been returned to the island after the San Diego Incident. Isla Sorna Incident (2001) Stegosaurs were briefly encountered twice by Dr. Alan Grant and the Kirby family when they flew over Sorna and when they traveled through one of the rivers of Isla Sorna on the Isla Sorna Aviary's barge where the Stegosaurus lined the riversides. Jurassic World Masrani Global Corporation created a new dinosaur zoo on Isla Nublar: Jurassic World. These new clones had a dark tan skin with light olive green. Their plates were black with a brown horizontal stripe. These new clones have inaccurate drooping tail most of the time, as well as less pronounced beaks blended into the skin. The new cloned Stegosaurus lived in the Cretaceous Cruise, the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo and the Gyrosphere Valley. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom The Stegosaurus first appear during a stampede with other dinosaurs as they run away from Mt. Sibo during its eruption, bumping into Owen’s party in the process. Several Stegosaurus were successfully captured by Ken Wheatley and his group of mercenaries to be loaded on to Arcadia to be taken to the mainland. One individual is about to be loaded on to the ship until Wheatley ordered the truck carrying it to stop for a while. Wheatley soothes the tranquilized dinosaur's head for a bit before brandishing his pliers to pull one of its tooth out. He taunted the Stegosaurus by showing its own tooth before placing it among his collection of other dinosaur teeth he had extracted and kept as trophies. When the Arcadia left Isla Nublar, one adult Stegosaurus could be seen calling out from its cage. The captured Stegosaurus were locked and cages for auction, with one being successfully sold. They were once again threatened by death due to some poisonous gas. Luckily, they were released from their cages by Claire Dearing and were able to escape thanks to Maisie Lockwood. They were last seen escaping the Lockwood Manor along with many other dinosaurs and fleeing into the forests of Northern California. Category:Jurassic Park Category:The Lost World: Jurassic Park Characters Category:Species Category:Support Characters Category:Animals Category:Dinosaurs Category:Quaternary Characters Category:Prehistoric Category:Live-action Characters